Dorchester Girl Scouts

Burgeoning artists from Girl Scout Troop 55302 of Dorchester have designed chairs with empowering messages for installation in the “Seat at the Table” project. Their creations show girls like themselves can do anything. The troop spent two weeks creating seven chairs. Many of them have empowering phrases like “You matter” and “Keep shining” on them. One features a black-and-white photo of Congresswoman Chisholm, framed with flowers. The project was an educational opportunity for the girls, as representatives from the Kennedy Institute came to a Troop meeting to talk about Congresswoman Chisholm. Girl Scout Troop 55302 of Dorchester is a part of the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts’ community programs. These programs provide the Girl Scout experience at community centers and schools at no cost to ensure equal access around the state. 

Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Advancement

We meet the needs of the growing and changing foreign-born communities in Boston.

The Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Advancement was created in 1998 as the Mayor’s Office of New Bostonians. We want to get immigrants active in Boston’s civic, social, and cultural life.

We make sure immigrants have the same access to services that all residents enjoy. We also highlight the role immigrants play in Boston’s growth.

OUR FOUR MAIN GOALS
1. FINDING AND DEALING WITH IMPORTANT ISSUES
To find out what matters in each immigrant community in Boston, we use focus groups, interviews, and surveys. In the Summer of 2015, we conducted Community Leaders and Community Member Surveys. We received about 500 responses from across Boston.

Through supporting the English for New Bostonians program, we’ve increased access to English language classes. These programs help about 1,100 adults every year.

We hold immigration clinic events with volunteer lawyers twice each month. We offer free information about immigration law and help about 400 people each year. Learn more about the clinics.

Our Immigrant Integration and Empowerment Initiative works to give immigrant residents a voice in City of Boston decisions. The initiative is also contributing to the City’s Resilience Plan.

We host Citizenship Day each year, where hundreds of people get help with applications for naturalization.

The City’s Task Force on Foreign-Trained Professionals is one of the first in the country. The task force explores steps the City can take to support members of our workforce who were educated and trained in other countries.

2. REACHING OUT TO THE COMMUNITY
We work every day to reach out to immigrants across the City.

Immigrant Information Corners are at all Boston Public Libraries. You can find materials on naturalization, scams, City services, scholarships, and help with finances. The project is a partnership with the help of:
– US Citizenship and Immigration Services
– the Boston Public Library
– the Mayor’s Office of Financial Empowerment
– Americorps
– Boston Cares, and other community partners.

Our Advisory Board is made up of 30 leaders from different parts of the community. They guide our work and connect us to key communities and stakeholders.

We also have a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals/Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DACA/DAPA) Outreach and Education Initiative. We work with 21 community groups to offer screening services and anti-fraud workshops. We also promote public awareness about these federal immigration actions through the media. Learn more about federal immigration policies.

Our Mini-Grants Program awarded funds to 12 Boston-based, immigrant-led community groups. These groups used the funds to increase their capacity to help the immigrant community.

3. GETTING IMMIGRANTS CITY SERVICES
We strengthen the ties between immigrants and the City to make sure all have access to City services.

We hold events and meetings to introduce City officials, including the mayor, to the community.

We help City departments when they work with translators and interpreters. We also educate City staff about working with immigrant residents.

Our community resource directory lets immigrants know who they can turn to outside of City Hall.

We help limited English speakers with many services at the City through our:
– volunteer interpreter pool
– information and referral programs, and
– our publications, including our guide to City of Boston services.

4. PROMOTING IMMIGRANTS IN BOSTON
We want to show the impact immigrants have had on Boston’s growth:

Our annual We Are Boston Gala highlights how immigrants have added to the City.

We take part in Immigrant Heritage Month and National Welcoming Week. We host and promote local events, and encourage people to add their thoughts on social media.

In April 2016, we hosted the White House Regional Convening on New Americans. This event highlighted the City’s contribution in building a welcoming community, and the White House’s role in immigrant integration.

Chelmsford

The Chelmsford Girl Scouts is a volunteer organization with adult leaders. Girl Scouts ages can be as young as Kindergarten, and they can participate until they are Seniors in High School.

Our Sisters’ School

Our mission, as an independent, tuition-free, non-sectarian middle school, is to educate and inspire economically disadvantaged girls from the New Bedford area. Our Sisters’ School empowers girls to step into the future with valuable life skills and a mindset of achievement and excellence by providing a safe, supportive, and academically challenging environment.

In 2006, a group of concerned citizens began to ponder the limited educational success and opportunities for girls in the greater New Bedford area. Encouraged by the research that positive educational opportunities for girls in the middle grades contribute to reduced teenage pregnancy, higher rates of high school graduation in four years, greater possibility of post-secondary education, and an overall interruption of the poverty cycle, this group formalized and began the challenging task of starting a tuition-free middle school serving New Bedford’s girls.

Since opening its doors to students in the first two grade levels in September 2008, the School now has a capacity of 72 girls in grades five through eight (5-8) from diverse races, cultures, and faiths — whose families qualify for assistance based on Federal Poverty Guidelines. Since the first graduating class in 2011, our alumnae continue to pursue academic excellence and professional satisfaction while continuing to contribute to their communities.

The School remains as fervently committed to its mission today as when it was founded. We steadily graduate positive and empowered young women.

James F. Condon School

Our Mission and Vision
The Condon K-8 School welcomes all students into a safe, supportive, and inclusive environment where they can build the skills, knowledge, and character to succeed in a life of active citizenship in the neighborhoods of Boston and beyond.

Our Vision: Community, Content, Creativity.
Community: We believe student scholars learn best in a safe and nurturing environment where expectations are clear and consistent.
– Partnering with ALL families to learn how to better serve ALL students
– Creating the Husky Block, a daily period for Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) from K-8
– Strengthening school-wide routines and procedures through positive behavioral incentives

Content: We believe student scholars learn best when content and experiences validate their identities and when teachers know their learners and engage them in rigorous tasks.
– Deep thematic units of study with standards-aligned real-world tasks
– Daily lessons which provide for engagement, technology, and supports for all learners
– Texts and experiences which reflect the diverse cultures of our students and families

Creativity: We believe student scholars learn best when they have access to creative pursuits in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) and Movement (Gym, Swim, and Dance)
– Access to the Arts including Dance, Studio Art, Theater, Choral, and Instrumental Music
– Experiences in the STEAM (including coding and robotics)
– Opportunities in Movement (Gym, Swim, Dance)

This is our vision for transforming the Condon School into a STEAM-focused K-8 school which reflects the spirit of Boston–diverse, dynamic, and future-focused.

The James F. Condon School is located in the heart of South Boston. Less than a half mile from the Seaport/Fort Point district, the Condon School boasts of strong partnerships, dedicated parents and highly qualified teachers. The Condon K-8 School is an innovative school serving students who reflect the rich diversity of Boston where children learn, families support one another, and the community rises to every need and every occasion. Our families speak over 19 different languages from all over the world!

Built in 1973, the Condon School is named after James F. Condon, a South Boston community activist.

Nearby transit, via the Red Line’s Broadway T stop, allows students and faculty to participate in many enrichment opportunities. The Condon School also has a great outdoor space including an Outdoor Classroom, ball fields, and two playground climbing features where outdoor learning is often part of the school day.

Boston International Newcomer’s Academy (BINcA)

BINcA is a Boston Public School that embraces new immigrant learners and their families, serving primarily (91.3%) Black and Hispanic Students. 100% of the students are designated as “High Needs” and over 95% are English Language Learners.